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With growth rates of 20–30% in recent years, digital sales are the biggest growth driver for brand manufacturers. Digital sales to retailers or even direct customers offer opportunities, but also risks.
Different target groups require a well-thought-out strategy.
The relevance of e-commerce in the B2B sector remains unbroken and is also affecting manufacturers. Many manufacturers see the need to open up to direct sales in order to tap into new sales potential. Having your own web shop is increasingly becoming a must-have rather than an optional sales channel. However, this future also harbors a considerable risk, as direct sales bypass intermediaries, who are traditionally the most important target group for manufacturers. How can you strike a balance between good dealer relationships and direct sales? How well do you know your end-user target group and how can you reach them? Should you rely on marketplaces or your own web shop?
The answers are individual and depend on your company, your products, and, above all, your customers.
For manufacturers, e-commerce does not necessarily mean that you have to start with a fully comprehensive web shop right away. There are numerous stages of iteration between a brand website and a fully owned web shop. A sound e-commerce strategy:
Our strategy team will help answer your questions and support you in the planning and implementation phase.
Those who are just entering the digital business today can rightly be called latecomers. Which entry strategy should be chosen for this market, and what are the success factors and pitfalls? You'll find the answers in our white paper.
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Long-term partnership in digital consulting and e-commerce | Project testimonial with fischer CDO, Matthias Schneider | To the complete story
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Benefit from our experience gained from numerous digitization projects with established manufacturers who, thanks to our partnership, have been able to start or significantly advance their digitization journey.
B2B products are often complex and require detailed explanations, which makes digitization difficult.
Customers may not be willing or able to use new digital distribution channels.
Integrating new digital tools with existing ERP or CRM systems can be technically challenging.
eCommerce platforms require special resources and in-depth technical expertise to be successfully implemented and managed. This can lead to technical problems and maintenance challenges.
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Our work speaks for itself! Trust industry-leading manufacturers who rely on a close partnership with Smart Commerce for digitalization and e-commerce!
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End users make purchasing decisions based on many factors. A good image and a strong brand play an important role in this. No one can take over the task of communicating your added value and thus building up the positive image of your own brand from the manufacturer, and above all, it should not be left exclusively to the retailers. At the beginning of the purchasing cycle, manufacturers have the opportunity to communicate directly with the end customer and convince them of their own product. At the same time, valuable data on users' interests and research behavior can be obtained, which would otherwise be lost in the data exchange with the retailer. And what about sales? By redirecting users who are convinced of the product directly to the retailer's web shop or brick-and-mortar store, you do not jeopardize the retailer relationship.
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Ensinger, a leading supplier in the plastics industry, was faced with the challenge of transferring its extensive product range and complex corporate structures to the digital world. Together with Smart Commerce, Ensinger developed a customised eCommerce strategy and a comprehensive requirements matrix. The resulting system selection ultimately enabled a seamless transition to the implementation phase of the selected shop software and a successful transition of the various business areas into the eCommerce age.
If you want to start small and sell directly to end users without intermediaries, marketplaces offer an opportunity for online sales without having to set up your own web shop. Products can be placed here quickly and initial experience gained: Am I reaching my target group? Which products are suitable? How should I structure my pricing? However, choosing the right platform is often difficult. Amazon, eBay, Mercateo... many factors from orientation and product range to logistics must be considered. We are happy to advise you!
Project example: Extended checkout at fischerwerke directs fischer customers directly and without interruption in design or customer experience to local and international retailers.
We analyse your options
You can't do without the retailer – that's not going to change anytime soon. Nevertheless, strategic considerations must be made about an own web shop in order to be prepared for the future. It is true that the better known the brand is to the end user, the easier it is to enter the (online) direct sales market. Parallel to the dealer business, one can start a test run on new markets or the sale of partial assortments or "remaining stock". Once the eCommerce infrastructure is in place, it can be scaled up over the years. If you have already built up the eCommerce basis and established processes, you can adapt more quickly to new market conditions and react to changes.
How does a traditional brand manage to set digital standards in a dynamic B2B environment? fischerwerke impressively demonstrates how a long-term strategic partnership and a customer centricity strategy can create a highly scalable and highly successful eCommerce platform that offers a comprehensive self-service center with innovative services for customers. Thanks to modern technologies such as composable commerce, microservices and SAP Commerce Cloud as well as a special innovation process, fischer has been able to continuously expand its online offerings - right up to market leadership in the industry. A story about flexibility, smart architecture and genuine partnership.
Whether it's brand presence with dynamic product information, retail connect functions, marketplace presence, or your own web shop—our strategy team works with you to assess the market situation, your opportunities and risks, your target groups, and your internal resources and capacities. Together, we develop realistic goals and a roadmap for implementation, create requirements, and advise on marketplace or system selection. As unique as your products and your starting point, we find a scalable entry point into e-commerce for your company.
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eCommerce in a large corporation means automation along the customer journey. Nevertheless, KION Group, the world's second-largest forklift truck manufacturer, manages to combine future-proof eCommerce with a personalised customer experience. In this success story, you can find out how a group manages the balancing act between key account sales and many small new customers with a multi-brand and multi-client platform. We also explain how the use of hybrid sales models for complex products works in a large corporation and why the combination of CRM and eCommerce is essential for this.
The Smart Commerce mission is to enable long-term eCommerce success for our customers. We achieve this thanks to a team of excellent eCommerce experts and strong technology partners with suitable solutions for your requirements.
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Our approach follows an established principle based on close cooperation between our customers, their stakeholders, our digital consultants, and senior developers, promoting strong communication. This allows us to get to know not only you, but also your company, your customers, and your products. We then develop backlogs tailored to your needs and start implementation in a cost- and time-efficient manner to align your digital solutions for sustainable success.
We start by jointly analysing your business goals, customer requirements and market conditions. We record the customer journeys and identify all relevant touchpoints. We review the existing system landscape, clarify technical dependencies and define clear key performance indicators (KPIs).
Based on the findings, we develop a DXP strategy that is tailored to your target group and your business objectives. We create detailed customer journeys and plan the personalisation options. We also take into account the seamless integration of content, commerce and customer data management.
The first release is carried out as a minimum viable product (MVP) in order to obtain feedback quickly and make targeted optimisations. We implement the core functions and ensure a rapid market launch. Performance and user experience are continuously monitored and adjusted.
After the successful go-live, we take over the support and further development of your DXP. We take care of technical maintenance, regular updates and the integration of new functions. This ensures that your DXP remains agile and adapts dynamically to new market requirements and customer needs.
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Discover our unique consulting approach for your online success.
Maximise your eCommerce potential with our Digital Experience Platform - personalised experiences, seamless integrations, more conversions!
We develop & implement customised e-commerce systems for you with leading technology partners.
Optimise your product management with our PIM services - centralised, efficient, error-free. More consistency, less effort!
Modern public cloud solutions with maximum automation for operating efficient e-commerce systems.
Use artificial intelligence for your online success - smarter processes, personalised experiences, more sales. Future-proof and efficient!
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